We’re thrilled to announce that our documentary film Ordinary Life. 20 years in the EU is coming out soon! Today, we’re excited to premiere its very first teaser.
Twenty years ago, the European Union opened its doors to ten new nations in the largest single expansion in its history. Time has passed, but what about the struggles, dreams, cultural clashes, and political discourse? This is a story of personal and societal evolution, of heritage and hope, of what has endured and what has changed. This is Ordinary Life — a look at how the everyday has continued, now with different perspectives, deeper connections, and a shared European journey. These interwoven lives are not only ordinary but also extraordinary.
Film "Ordinary Life. 20 years in the EU" brings together testimonies from all ten accession countries - Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Malta - along with Ukraine, highlighting their efforts to join the European Union. Representing the spirit and culture of each of their homelands, the film’s protagonists are: a philosopher in Slovenia, a festa historian in Malta, a graffiti artist in Poland, and filmmakers from Estonia, among others. Together, they paint a portrait of Europe that is both old and new, familiar yet transformed. While next to them we witness a Ukrainian migrant's reflections on a journey with unknown outcome on both - personal and national level.
The film is produced by Latvian film studio Very Films as part of the CAMINO project, funded by the EU’s CERV program.
We want to express our gratitude to our partners for their help in the film's development: Film studio Very Films, University of Latvia (Latvia), Vilnius University (Lithuania), University of Tartu (Estonia), University of Opole (Poland), J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic), Comenius University Bratislava (Slovakia), Ludovika University of Public Service (Hungary), and King Danylo University (Ukraine).
Meet the Team!
Director Daina Rašenbauma
Daina Rašenbauma is a journalist by education, but she has built her professional career in the field of directing, with a focus on visual storytelling. Her body of work includes television programs, large- scale cultural events, and documentary projects based on historical facts and events—striving, within the limits of possibility, to uncover the world as we experience it.
Editor Lukass Talis Rozītis
Lukass Talis Rozītis is a Latvian storyteller with a dynamic career spanning theatre, advertising, television, and radio. As a producer, director, and writer, he has crafted engaging TV shows, thought-provoking plays, compelling radio programs, and large- scale events. Passionate about exploring cultural identity, societal shifts, and the intersections of tradition and modernity, Lukass seeks fresh perspectives on the complexities of identity and heritage in a globalized world.
Editor Krista Vāvere
Krista Vāvere - an experienced journalist and screenwriter, whose creativity was influenced by education in anthropology and the belief that every person's story deserves the opportunity to be expressed and heard.